Mary Mint

I grew up in the beautiful Cheshire countryside, where I was lucky enough to spend my childhood roaming fields, woodlands and country lanes. I had the freedom to explore, get muddy, climb trees and simply be outside. That connection to the countryside has never really left me.

I now live in Devon, surrounded by people and the bustle of town life, but I still find myself drawn to the fields, woods, farms and coastline. I love growing things, being outside and understanding where the things we eat and use actually come from.

That connection with the land is at the heart of Mary Mint.

Mary Mint is my little corner of the world where I bring together British food, natural homewares, natural skincare and thoughtfully made products, with a particular focus on provenance, quality and using what we already have.

I suppose, really, Mary Mint is my attempt to bring a little bit of the countryside back into everyday life.

Why buy something simply because it's cheap?

One of the things that increasingly troubles me is our throwaway culture.

We are constantly told that we need to make more sustainable choices, yet we continue to ship huge quantities of products around the world because they can be made more cheaply elsewhere.

Take garlic. Britain has a perfectly good climate for growing it, yet much of the garlic we buy in our shops has travelled thousands of miles from China. There are complicated reasons behind global food supply chains, of course, but I often find myself asking a very simple question:

Why have we allowed the cheapest option to become the default?

British agriculture and manufacturing have declined over generations, and now we are seeing the consequences in our food system. I have friends who are farmers, and my partner Mark is a small-scale market gardener, growing fruit and vegetables for our local farm shop. I see first-hand how much work, skill and care goes into producing good-quality food here in Britain.

It is not easy.

And yet we often expect British producers to compete with products made thousands of miles away at a fraction of the price.

I don't pretend that I have all the answers, but I do believe that our choices matter.

If we continually choose the cheapest possible option, we inevitably shape the kind of world we end up with.

Buying less, but buying better

I often think about the difference between buying a £1 plastic toy that breaks the next day and spending £15 on a beautifully made wooden toy that can be played with for years and passed on.

The first appears cheaper.

But is it?

The real cost isn't just what comes out of your purse. It is the materials, the energy, the transport, the packaging and ultimately what happens when we no longer want it.

I don't want Mary Mint to be a shop full of things people don't need.

Quite the opposite.

I want to encourage people to buy less, but better. To choose things because they are useful, beautiful, well made or genuinely bring something to everyday life — and then to look after them.

There is something rather lovely about the old-fashioned idea of buying something once and keeping it for years.

Nothing wasted. Everything valued.

A big part of Mary Mint is my fascination with the things that have traditionally been valued because nothing was wasted.

British animal fats are a wonderful example.

Beef dripping and pork lard are traditional products that have been used for generations, but somewhere along the way they became unfashionable. I work with British producers to bring these ingredients back to people who appreciate traditional food, cooking and making use of the whole animal.

That principle extends beyond food.

I love products made from natural materials and products that make use of what is already available. Wool, sheepskin, leather, cotton, wood and other natural materials all have a place in Mary Mint.

It is about looking at something and thinking:

How can we make something useful from this rather than throwing it away?

That is the circular thinking that I love.

Natural living without the preaching

I'm interested in natural health and wellbeing too, but I don't want Mary Mint to tell people how they should live.

Life is complicated enough without another person on the internet telling you that you're doing everything wrong!

For me, it is about becoming more conscious of the things we bring into our homes and the choices we make every day.

I don't want cheap plastic tat for the sake of filling a shelf. I would much rather find something made from wool, wood, cotton, leather or another natural material, particularly when it has been made by a British artisan or small business.

I'm fascinated by the growing conversation around microplastics, synthetic materials and what we are surrounding ourselves with every day. I don't claim that natural automatically means perfect, but I do think it is worth stopping occasionally and asking ourselves what we are buying, why we are buying it and whether there is a better alternative.

For me, that is what slow living is really about.

Not perfection.

Just more thought.

Supporting British farmers and makers

Whenever possible, I choose British suppliers and small independent producers.

I want to know where things come from. I want to understand who made them. I want to support the farmer, craftsperson or small business behind the product rather than simply buying another anonymous item from a huge supply chain.

Mary Mint brings together a growing collection of British animal fats and traditional foods, natural skincare, soaps, wool and sheepskins, natural homewares and products from independent British makers.

Every product has to earn its place.

If I wouldn't want it in my own home, I don't want to sell it to somebody else.

From Devon to Surrey

Mary Mint is growing in a very organic way — largely through word of mouth, local markets and meeting people face-to-face.

You'll increasingly find me at markets around Devon, where I love chatting to customers, explaining where products have come from and hearing what people are looking for.

I'm also delighted to have a new curation at The Green Door Emporium in Tiverton, opening on 3rd October, which gives Mary Mint a lovely new home and another opportunity for people to discover the range.

And I'm beginning to look further afield too. I'll soon be heading up to Surrey, where Mark's parents live, and I'm hoping to use those visits as an opportunity to introduce Mary Mint to a new area and see where it might lead.

I don't have grand plans to become a huge retailer with warehouses full of products.

I'd much rather grow slowly, build genuine relationships and create something that feels meaningful.

Welcome to Mary Mint

Ultimately, Mary Mint is about a return to something that I think we've lost a little along the way.

• A slower pace.

• A connection with the countryside.

• Respect for the people who grow and make things.

• Natural materials.

• Traditional skills.

• Using what we have.

• Buying thoughtfully.

• And remembering that the things we own don't have to be disposable.

I want Mary Mint to inspire people to look at everyday life slightly differently — perhaps to cook with a traditional fat, choose a wool blanket instead of a synthetic one, buy a beautifully made wooden or cotton item, discover a British maker, or simply stop and ask where something came from before they buy it.

I'm not here to preach.

I'm here to offer another option.

A return to slower living — rooted in care, craft and connection.

That is Mary Mint.